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Re: Gerund question

I am not a native speaker, but it is absolutely clear that in your case meeting is a gerund, as it governs a direct object and it has no article.

Running in your case should in my opinion be used as "running" (quotation marks) , being just an indefinite idea of a grammatical object used like a proper noun. It's merely a name for a certain noun. But it is only an indefinite part of speech in this form.

Although English style books consider this verb use as a cliche being not recommended, I would turn better to the noun style and re-write it as a whole: It stands in connection to the running. In this form, the word running is a noun with all its functions implied. It may be used in general and/or actual, real sense (materialized) and have the plural formant -s at the end.

Re: Gerund question

Dear "Old Chap", I am migrating here from an English Language website that got commercialized during last years and where all the forums were abolished (!) due to that policy. So, I have to make a new start here. I am very modest, but all my scores for many many years there were lost. That makes me deeply sad.

My impression is that English is a very indefinite language as compared to those that are known to me. Say, if I had to learn a new foreign language, I would never take an English text book in order to learn that foreign language.

Re: Gerund question

"It stands in connection to the running" is not a natural English sentence.

What would you say if I re-write it as follows:

It is in connection to the runnings (about a machine's turnings on and off).

Here, the definite article should indicate that a machine ran in reality; in other words, "running" was real, as opposed to a running, as a single action that can be conceived mentally. Many passages in literature show such differences. They call such instances "Grammar Synomies with the English Articles".

Re: Gerund question

It is in connection to the runnings (about a machine's turnings on and off).I would say that that was not a natural English sentence.

Here, the definite article should indicate that a machine ran in reality; in other words, "running" was real, as opposed to a running, as a single action that can be conceived mentally. I don't think articles alone can make the difference between a real happening and a mental conception.

Many passages in literature show such differences. Can you give some examples?
They call such instances "Grammar Synomies with the English Articles".Who are 'they'. Can you give some references to "Grammar Synomies with the English Articles"?

The forum system will not accept the plural form of "running"! I don't understand what you mean by this.

Re: Gerund question

Originally Posted by cuneiform

The forum system will not accept the plural form of "running"!

Runnings
Runnings
Runnings

It uses a spellcheck- these are not perfect but they are very good guides for most people. The forum will accept any spelling or form. You could write complete nonsense like skptwollinghxzdst and it would be published, but the spellcheck would simply ask you whether you were sure that was what you wanted to post.